1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cases for optical storage discs such as compact discs and digital video discs and, more particularly, to injection molded cases having a wrap-around flexible sleeve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cases for storing optical storage discs, such as compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs) CDs and digital video discs (DVDs), when not being used, have been manufactured for about twenty years. The typical case is a square-cornered box having a center hub for receiving the central mounting aperture of the disk. There are significant differences between so-called “jewel cases” used to store CDs and the taller cases used to store DVDs. The first significant difference is that conventional jewel cases are typically injection molded from polystyrene plastic. As the use of this material precludes the use of a “live” hinge, the cases covers are formed in two pieces—a front cover and a back cover—that use snap-together hinges. A third piece, which is internal to the case, snaps into the back cover and holds the back information sheet in place. The second significant difference is that the mechanism used to hold CDs is generally a spring plastic assembly that requires that CDs be pried therefrom. DVD cases, on the other hand, are typically injection molded as a single piece from polyolefins, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, and rely on live hinges to interconnect a front cover, a spine and a back cover. In addition, as DVDs are considered to be more fragile than CDs, DVD case specifications require a disc retaining mechanism (usually called a hub) having a push-button release. Although some CD cases have been injection molded from polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene and have used disc attachment mechanisms that do not require the CD to be pried therefrom, they constituted a tiny minority of CD cases in use.
U.S. Pat. No. D459,935 S discloses a typical injection-molded DVD case. It has a spine connected to both a front cover and a back cover via live hinges. Live hinges are ultra-thin and, hence, ultra-flexible strips of polyolefin material formed between spine and covers during the injection molding process. The case of this patent, like nearly all of those produced by the DVD packaging industry, is a shallow, medially split rectangular box with rounded edges and corners. Such boxes are not particularly good as self-standing items. In other words, they are unstable when one attempts to stand them on the lower sidewall. The instability is related to the relatively narrow band of flat surface thereon and typical slight misalignment of the front and back covers.
What is needed is a new injection molded DVD case that can be used as a display item by standing it upright. In addition, since the DVD case is intended as a display item, a new more aesthetically pleasing case design is also needed. The new design should be at least as structurally strong, if not stronger than the conventional genre of DVD cases and would, ideally, use less polyolefin material in its manufacture.